Interstate 805

Interstate 805, often called I-805, is an important highway in Southern California. It runs from near the Mexico–U.S. border in San Ysidro, a part of San Diego, all the way up to the Sorrento Valley neighborhood close to Del Mar. This highway serves as a bypass route for Interstate 5, helping drivers avoid traffic in the busy San Diego area.

I-805 goes through many neighborhoods and cities, including Chula Vista, National City, and several parts of San Diego like North Park, Mission Valley, Clairemont, and University City. Planning for this highway began in 1956, and it was officially designated in 1959. Construction started in 1967 and finished in 1975.

The highway is named the Jacob Dekema Freeway in honor of a leader from the California Department of Transportation. Over the years, many improvements have been made, such as adding carpool lanes. Drivers often notice the impressive Mission Valley Viaduct, which shows the complex engineering used to build I-805.

Route description

Interstate 805, often called I-805, is a major highway in Southern California. It runs from near the Mexico–U.S. border in San Ysidro, a part of San Diego, up north towards La Jolla and Del Mar. It starts close to I-5 and follows a path through several cities, including Chula Vista, National City, and back into San Diego.

As it moves north, I-805 passes by many important roads and landmarks. It goes over the Mission Valley Viaduct, a big concrete bridge built in 1972, and meets several other highways like SR 15 and SR 52. The highway is also known as the Jacob Dekema Freeway, named after a person who helped create the freeway system in San Diego. I-805 is very busy, with lots of cars traveling on it every day.

History

Construction

Planning for I-805 began in 1956. It was approved as an Interstate Highway in 1958 and added to the state highway system in 1959. The goal was to reduce traffic on another road between Los Angeles and San Diego and to provide a bypass around San Diego for travelers to Mexico.

Construction started in the late 1960s. The first part of the freeway opened in the early 1970s. Over the next few years, more sections were completed. The entire freeway was finished in 1975.

Recognition, artwork, and architecture

The Mission Valley Viaduct was recognized for its design, which included special columns and shapes. Other parts of the freeway also received attention for their design and artwork. Some people had concerns about billboards and murals along the freeway, but others supported adding art.

The freeway was named after Jacob Dekema in 1981 for his work in designing it.

Expansion

In the 1990s and 2000s, plans were made to add more lanes to I-805 to help with traffic. Construction began in the early 2000s. New lanes opened in the mid-2000s. More projects to improve traffic flow continued in the following years.

Exit list

The entire route of Interstate 805 is located in San Diego County.

Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations
San Diego	0.00	0.00	—	Mexico Only (I-5 south)
			1A	Camino de la Plaza
	0.50	0.80	1B	San Ysidro Boulevard
	1.66	2.67	1C	SR 905
	2.78	4.47	2	Palm Avenue
Chula Vista	3.51	5.65	3	Main Street / Auto Park Drive
	4.27	6.87	4	Olympic Parkway / East Orange Avenue
	4.91	7.90	♦	East Palomar Street
	5.51	8.87	6	L Street / Telegraph Canyon Road
	7.01	11.28	7	H Street
	7.61	12.25	7C	E Street / Bonita Road (CR S17)
National City	8.71	14.02	8	SR 54 (South Bay Freeway)
	8.90	14.32	9	Sweetwater Road
	10.13	16.30	10	Plaza Boulevard
San Diego	11.16	17.96	11A	43rd Street
	11.22	18.06	11B	47th Street / Palm Avenue – National City
	12.20	19.63	12A	Imperial Avenue
	12.80	20.60	12B	Market Street
	13.36	21.50	13A	SR 94 (M. L. King Jr. Freeway)
	13.80	22.21	13B	Home Avenue
	14.49	23.32	14	SR 15 north (Escondido Freeway)
				SR 15 south (Escondido Freeway) to SR 94 west (M. L. King Jr. Freeway)
	15.80	25.43	15	North Park Way / University Avenue
	16.28	26.20	16	El Cajon Boulevard (Historic US 80)
	16.84	27.10	17A	Adams Avenue / Madison Avenue
	17.50	28.16	17B	I-8 (Mission Valley Freeway) – Beaches, El Centro
	18.74	30.16	18	Murray Ridge Road / Phyllis Place
	20.08	32.32	20A	Mesa College Drive / Kearny Villa Road
	20.45	32.91	20B	SR 163 north (Cabrillo Freeway) – Escondido
			20	SR 163 south (Cabrillo Freeway) – Downtown San Diego
	21.51	34.62	21	Balboa Avenue
	22.41	36.07	22	Clairemont Mesa Boulevard
	23.50	37.82	23	SR 52 (Soledad Freeway) – La Jolla, Santee
	24.29	39.09	24	Governor Drive
	25.33	40.76	25A	Nobel Drive
	25.79	41.50	25B	Miramar Road / La Jolla Village Drive
			♦	Carroll Canyon Road
	26.92– 28.15	43.32– 45.30	27	Mira Mesa Boulevard / Vista Sorrento Parkway / Sorrento Valley Road
	28.73	46.24	33A	I-5 Local Bypass to SR 56 east
			—	I-5 north (San Diego Freeway) – Los Angeles
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       HOV only       Incomplete access